Top 6 compared
The best LED strip lights
Glowing color behind the TV, along a shelf or around the bedroom, changed with a remote or an app.
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The top 6 at a glance
An LED strip is the quickest way to change how a room feels: a line of color behind a headboard, under a desk or around the ceiling, stuck on and plugged in. Room strips run from a remote or an app, smart ones add Wi-Fi so Alexa or Google Assistant can run them, and TV backlights glow behind the screen or follow the picture.
A standard RGB strip shows one color along its whole length at a time; an RGBIC strip gives each section its own chip, so rainbows and waves run along it. Govee says its plain RGB strips can be cut at the marked points, while many of its RGBIC ones can’t. Clean and dry the surface first, as the makers ask, so the tape holds.
What matters
- A white LED chip as well (RGBW), for whites that aren’t bluish.
- Mounting clips in the box, for ceilings and upside-down runs.
- USB power from a TV, or a wall adapter for long runs.
- A TV backlight sold for your screen size; check curved-screen fit.
#1Govee Smart RGB LED Strip Lights, 16.4 ft (Wi-Fi)
$10–$20
A smart strip that answers to Alexa and Google Assistant over Wi-Fi, so you can switch it on, dim it or change the color from across the room without reaching for your phone. At 16.4 ft it suits a headboard, a desk edge, a shelf or the back of a monitor, and its built-in mic lets it pulse with music.
What owners say: Owners say it sticks up and pairs without trouble. Most of the rest divides them: some get bright, vivid color while others find the colors off or the light dimmer than they hoped, and reliability gets mixed reports, with some strips no longer working properly.
A closer look: Wipe the surface clean and dry before peeling the backing, then add the five clips at corners and along any stretch that hangs upside down, such as under a bed frame. Govee says its plain RGB strips like this one can be cut at the gold marks, so trim any spare length rather than doubling it back on itself.
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
- 64 scene modes
- Timer mode
- 5 support clips included
Best for: Desks, beds and voice control
- Length sold
- 16.4 ft
- Control
- App, voice
- Music sync
- Built-in mic
- Voice assistants
- Alexa, Google
- Power
- Plug-in adapter
- Cuttable
- At the gold marks
- Several colors at once (RGBIC)
- No
#2Govee TV Backlight 3 Lite (55 to 65 in TVs)
$50–$75
A small camera on top of the TV watches the screen, and the strip behind it matches the colors around the edges, so the glow on the wall follows a movie, a game or a streaming show as it plays. Its four-in-one beads add a warm white chip to the usual red, green and blue for cleaner whites.
What owners say: Owners say it adds real atmosphere to a TV room and like the glow it gives the wall. Calibration is the sore point, which some call a nightmare, and reliability, color accuracy, value and the adhesive all get mixed reports, with some finding the tape barely sticks.
Heads up: Govee says it fits flat TVs from about 0.16 to 1.4 in thick and isn’t for curved screens, so check yours before you buy.
A closer look: The camera hangs on the top edge of the screen, and calibration in the Govee Home app maps the strip to the picture, so set aside some time for it on the first evening. Pick the size by your screen: this kit is for 55 to 65 inch TVs, and Govee sells the same backlight for 40 to 50 and 75 to 85 inch sets.
- Camera matches on-screen colors
- Warm white chip for whites
- Detects black bars
- Syncs with other Govee lights
Best for: Wall color that follows the screen
- Length sold
- 11.8 ft, for 55–65 in TVs
- Control
- App, voice
- Music sync
- Built-in mic
- Voice assistants
- Alexa, Google
- Power
- Plug-in adapter
- Cuttable
- No
- Several colors at once (RGBIC)
- RGBICW
#3MATICOD USB TV LED Backlight, 9.84 ft
Under $10
The simplest way to put color behind a smaller TV: it runs from a USB port, so there’s no adapter to hide, and the app, a 21-key remote and a three-button controller on the cord all change the color and brightness. A built-in mic drives its music mode.
What owners say: Owners find it quick to put up and say it makes the TV area look finished and cozy, with brightness that adjusts and tape that holds to the TV. Whites can come out bluish, and some report the lights switching on and off by themselves or failing after a month.
A closer look: Plugged into a USB port on the back of the TV, it will usually switch on and off with the set; a USB charger keeps it running on its own. Run the strip around the back panel a little in from the edges so the glow spreads onto the wall, and pair it in the free duoCo Strip app over Bluetooth.
- Usually switches on with TV
- No adapter to hide
- 16 million colors
- Timer mode
Best for: Smaller TVs, no adapter needed
- Length sold
- 9.84 ft, for 32–43 in TVs
- Control
- App, remote, buttons
- Music sync
- Built-in mic
- Voice assistants
- None
- Power
- USB
- Cuttable
- –
- Several colors at once (RGBIC)
- No
#4DAYBETTER Smart RGB LED Strip Lights, 50 ft
$10–$20
A single 50 ft roll is enough to run around the top of most bedroom walls, and it comes with both a phone app and a 24-key remote, so anyone in the room can change the color without the app. It syncs to music, runs on a timer and can be cut at the marked points if your run is shorter.
What owners say: Owners say it transforms a room and goes up on the wall easily. Almost everything else divides them: quality, reliability, color, the app connection, the adhesive and value all split opinion: some sets fail outright, and for some the tape won’t stick at all.
A closer look: Plan the route before you peel the backing, starting at the outlet end so the control box and adapter sit low and out of sight. If the run is shorter than 50 ft, cut only at the marked points; DAYBETTER says it can be linked again with connectors, which aren’t in the box. The remote is infrared, so keep its receiver in view.
- Timer settings
- 240 LEDs
- Relinks with connectors, sold separately
Best for: Bedroom ceilings and walls
- Length sold
- 50 ft
- Control
- App, remote
- Music sync
- Yes
- Voice assistants
- None
- Power
- Plug-in adapter
- Cuttable
- At the marks
- Several colors at once (RGBIC)
- No
#5Govee RGBIC LED Strip Lights, 16.4 ft
$10–$20
Made for moving color: each section of this RGBIC strip shows its own color, so rainbows, waves and chases run along a headboard or a desk instead of the whole strip changing at once. It runs from the Govee Home app over Bluetooth, and its built-in mic drives 11 music modes.
What owners say: Owners love the vivid colors and the number of modes, and say it goes up quickly with tape that holds. Reliability is mixed, with some seeing only half the strip light up, many point out it doesn’t work with Alexa, and some found it didn’t last.
A closer look: It’s Bluetooth only, and Govee says it doesn’t work with Alexa, so it answers to the phone app within range rather than to your voice. Plan the length before you buy instead of counting on trimming it, and wipe the surface clean and dry first so the tape holds along the whole run.
- 11 music modes
- 64+ preset scenes
- 16 million colors
Best for: Rainbow and wave effects
- Length sold
- 16.4 ft
- Control
- App
- Music sync
- Built-in mic
- Voice assistants
- None
- Power
- Plug-in adapter
- Cuttable
- No
- Several colors at once (RGBIC)
- Yes
#6Philips Hue Solo Lightstrip, 16 ft
$50–$75
Fits a home already run on Philips Hue: RGBWW LEDs give true whites as well as colors, and at 1,700 lumens it can light a kitchen counter or a hallway, not just glow. It works with Alexa and Google, and through a Hue Bridge with Apple Home and Matter, so it joins the rest of your lights in the same scenes.
What owners say: Owners rate the build and the rich color, and had it running quickly. The adhesive is the common complaint, weak on textured knockdown walls, some units failed within a few months, and getting it working with Alexa or HomeKit goes smoothly for some and not for others.
Heads up: For Apple Home you need a Philips Hue Bridge, sold separately (Matter needs it too); out of the box it runs from the Hue app over Bluetooth.
A closer look: With a Bridge it can also join a Hue Entertainment area, so the Hue Sync apps can set it pulsing with music or following a game on a PC. It can be cut at the marks about every 13 inches, but a cut piece can’t be reconnected, so measure twice before you trim.
- 1,700 lumens
- True whites and colors
- Silicone sleeve diffuses light
- Cut pieces can’t reconnect
Best for: Existing Hue and Apple Home setups
- Length sold
- 16 ft
- Control
- App, voice
- Music sync
- Via Hue Sync
- Voice assistants
- Alexa, Google; Apple via Bridge
- Power
- Plug-in adapter
- Cuttable
- Every 13 in
- Several colors at once (RGBIC)
- No
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 6.
| Feature | #1Govee RGB Wi-Fi | #2Govee 3 Lite | #3MATICOD TV | #4DAYBETTER 50 ft | #5Govee RGBIC | #6Hue Solo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best TV backlight | Best budget | Best for whole rooms | Best RGBIC strip | Best for Apple Home | |
| Picked Rating | 8.8 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.6 | 8.5 |
| Price | $10–$20 | $50–$75 | Under $10 | $10–$20 | $10–$20 | $50–$75 |
| Length sold | 16.4 ft | 11.8 ft, for 55–65 in TVs | 9.84 ft, for 32–43 in TVs | 50 ft | 16.4 ft | 16 ft |
| Control | App, voice | App, voice | App, remote, buttons | App, remote | App | App, voice |
| Music sync | Built-in mic | Built-in mic | Built-in mic | Yes | Built-in mic | Via Hue Sync |
| Voice assistants | Alexa, Google | Alexa, Google | None | None | None | Alexa, Google; Apple via Bridge |
| Power | Plug-in adapter | Plug-in adapter | USB | Plug-in adapter | Plug-in adapter | Plug-in adapter |
| Cuttable | At the gold marks | No | – | At the marks | No | Every 13 in |
| Several colors at once (RGBIC) | No | RGBICW | No | No | Yes | No |
| Best for | Desks, beds and voice control | Wall color that follows the screen | Smaller TVs, no adapter needed | Bedroom ceilings and walls | Rainbow and wave effects | Existing Hue and Apple Home setups |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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